Wild Child
by Annie Reyem
Summary: "I came to learn magic. I came because there was nowhere else to go. I came to learn how to heal. I didn't come so I could save the world. I'm a nobody. Honestly, a somebody should be doing that." Headmaster Dumbledore patted her on the shoulder. "Miss Sarrasri, everybody starts out like a nobody. Only you can decide to be somebody." HP/The Immortals by Tamora Pierce Fem!Harry
1. First Year: September

(Updated 6-16-17)

September 1991

Artemis Sarrasri was considering saying a lot of very bad words to Headmaster Dumbledore. Most of them she had learned from a raven a couple of years ago. He would probably be very confused, as most of the words would be gibberish to him, but Arri knew the meanings well enough to relish the thought of hurling them at the old, interfering man.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to say anything to him for at least another 9 hours, she crossed her arms and glared out the window where everyone else was saying goodbye to their families.

 _It could be worse._ Glasa said, as he licked a paw on the seat beside her.

Arri glared at her best friend, who happened to be a huge white dog. "And how, exactly, could this be worse?" she asked him as sarcastically as she could.

He looked up from his grooming, and hunched his shoulders in a very good imitation of a two-leggers shrug. _Don't know. Just that it could._

The black haired girl huffed, and looked back out the window. She saw a large red-headed family as they laughed and talked amongst themselves. She ignored the pang in her chest and fought against the tears that burned her eyes. Crying wouldn't fix anything. Biting her lip, she drew both legs up on the seat and hugged them. Glasa rested his head on top of hers and leaned against her. Throwing an arm around his side, she managed a smile. Glasa was always there for her.

She didn't know how long it was that she spent lost in her thoughts and wallowing in self pity, but a voice startled her out of it soon enough.

"May I sit here? The other compartments are full." She looked up and saw one of the redheads in front of her.

She didn't particularly care, so she replied, "Sure, as long as you don't mind Glasa. He's harmless, but his farts usually aren't." She added a grin, and watched as the boy's face lit up.

"My brother Percy is like that too!" he said, as he dragged his trunk into the compartment. "My name's Ron." He paused as he struggled to hoist his battered trunk up. Arri leaped up to help him. "Thanks!" he said, as he fell into the other seat.

"So you're a first year too?" Ron asked.

Arri nodded. "Yep. What House do you want to be in?" she asked him.

"Gryffindor," was his immediate answer. "My entire family's been in Gryffindor. Mum'd probably pass out if I made it into anything else. Fred and George, they're some of my brothers, would make fun of me for the rest of my life!"

Arri cocked her head. " _Some_ of your brothers?"

Ron's face tinged with red. "Yeah." He muttered. "I've got five of 'em. And a sister, Ginny. She'll be in Hogwarts next year. Bill and Charlie have already graduated, but Percy is in fifth, and the twins, Fred and George, are in third."

Arri sometimes didn't think at _all_ before she spoke. "Why are you embarrassed you've got so many siblings?"

Ron's face got a bit redder. "Well, most Pureblood families can only have one or maybe two kids. For some reason, Weasley's have always been able to have a lot. We've made a lot of people mad because of it. Mum and Dad don't get invited to a lot of Pureblood parties, and no one wants their kids to play with us."

Arri screwed up her face. "That doesn't make sense!" she said hotly. "You can't help that."

Ron nodded miserably. "I know. I wasn't sure how you'd react to finding out I was a Weasley."

Arri shook her braid behind her head. "Don't worry, Ron. I don't judge people on things they can't help. I'm Artemis Sarrasri, but my friends call me Arri." She held out her hand, and shook his hand firmly.

"Sarrasri? I don't know if I've heard that last name before. Are you muggleborn?" Ron asked.

Arri shook her head, her wayward curls tickling her face. She pushed them out of the way. "No, my mum was a hedgewitch. Didn't know my da."

Ron looked confused, so Arri clarified. "Hedgewitches don't go to school. They're kind of like hermits. They learn from their mums, and never marry. It's rare if you know who your da is. They mostly know earth magic: healing, herbology, and potions. You don't really need a wand for those."

"Ah," he said, and nodded. "Why are you coming to Hogwarts then?"

Arri sighed. "Because mum thought I was a squib before I got my letter."

Ron's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah." Arri waved a hand like it was no big deal. "She tried so hard to teach me healing, but I could never get it. I was a dab hand at Potions and Herbology though. So when my Hogwarts letter came, I was so happy that I actually do have magic. But I-we thought that maybe Hogwarts would help me learn stuff because my mum couldn't teach me."

If Ron noticed her slip up, he pretended not to notice. Glasa chose that moment to release a burst of gas. Arri, by habit, pulled her dress neck up over her nose. Eyes wide, Ron did the same, choking a bit.

Once the air had cleared, Ron burst out with, "Blimey! That was _awful!_ " Arri nodded sagely. She knew how bad Glasa could get, especially in tight spaces. "I didn't know you could even take a dog to Hogwarts," Ron commented, pawing through his book bag.

Arri cleared her throat, and he looked up. "Erm, you can't," she said, her face now tinged with pink. Ron's eyebrows went up.

"Then how…" He left the question hanging.

"I refused to go if they didn't let me keep him." Arri's face was a bit more red now.

"Blimey," Ron breathed. "That worked?"

"Er, yeah." Arri played with her braid. "They've not had a hedgewitch at Hogwarts for centuries, apparently. We know almost all there is to know about earth magic, and some of that is really treasured knowledge. My mum taught me everything she could, so I think the Professors of Potions and Herbology put a lot of pressure on the Headmaster to make me come. Hedgewitches are never found unless they want to be, so a lot of their knowledge never really leaves them."

"Wow," Ron said, leaning back.

"So, yeah." Arri said, feeling awkward. She hadn't really decided yet whether to share what she knew yet or not. She didn't know if that was betraying her mum, and didn't want to say anything unless she was sure. It'd made for some strained moments between her and the teachers before Dumbledore made her go to the train station. She had been staying at Hogwarts for a few months, since her mum's hut had burned down and Arri didn't have anywhere else to go.

Ron and Arri spent the remaining hours gorging themselves on sweets and goofing off. Ron taught her a few wizarding games, and then decided to take a nap. Apparently he hadn't been able to sleep last night, what with being excited for Hogwarts and being afraid Fred and George would play a prank on him.

While Ron slept, Arri read her Potions book again. A few other first years stopped by looking for a toad, but other than that, Arri was undisturbed. Once the sun had gone down, a prefect stopped by and told them to get dressed. Ron went to the bathroom while Arri struggled with her school robes.

 _You're funny._ Glasa offered, watching Arri get stuck.

"Oh haha, Glasa." Arri retorted, trying to pull on her white blouse without unbuttoning it. She hated buttons. She'd never had buttons when she lived in the Forest. Next was the plain black tie. She had no idea how to tie it, so just kind of knotted it, and left it hanging. Next was the plain grey sweater, whose warmth she was so grateful for. She had chosen to get mostly tights instead of socks, because she hated how her knees looked. Next was the black robes. Arri had chosen the kind that had a slit for arms, instead of the ones that had sleeves. She couldn't imagine the catastrophes in Potions because of them. She ignored the shoes, she wasn't going to put them on until the last minute. She _hated_ shoes.

Finally, she let Ron back in. He took one look at her tie and burst out laughing. She glared at him until he stopped.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said, walking over to her. "It just looks so awful. I guess you didn't have ties in the middle of nowhere, huh?" Arri kept glaring at him as he fixed her tie for her.

"No. We didn't," she said, frustrated. He spent the next few minutes teaching her how to tie a tie. Once he was sure she got it, she tried it herself. It wasn't so hard, once she got the hang of it.

And then they were there. She had been inside the castle before, but never had she seen it like _this_. Before she knew it, they were all huddled together, waiting for Professor McGonagall to get back.

"The name's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." Arri blinked. A pale-haired boy was standing in front of her. "I heard there's a hedgewitch in Hogwarts this year. Is it you?" A murmuring started through most of the first years.

Arri blinked. How did he know? "Yes." She said hesitantly. "I'm Artemis Sarrasri. This is-" She was going to introduce Ron, but Malfoy cut her off.

"A Weasley, I'm guessing." Malfoy sneered. "My dad taught me how to recognize you lot. All red hair and freckles, with nothing but hand-me-downs." Ron colored and glared at Malfoy, but didn't say anything. Arri was shocked. This boy was being downright rude, and she had no idea what to do or say. She wanted to defend her new friend though.

"You'll learn before long that some families are better than others in the Wizarding world. I can teach you that, if you like."

Arri frowned. What a crock load of-

"Why?" The word was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

The blond one was confused. "Why what?"

"Why are some families better than others?" She had read about blood prejudice in the Wizarding world, but didn't understand it at all.

"Because we're pureblood and not blood-traitors," he spluttered, shocked that anyone would question him. Confused and angry mutters rippled among the first years.

"Do you even know what those words _mean_?" she shot back, ignoring the mutters. Ron hid a snort in his hand.

"Of course I do!" The Malfoy scion drew himself up straighter. "If you're a pureblood, then you have four magical grandparents. And blood-traitors _purposely_ let _dirty_ blood into their line!"

Arri couldn't believe the arrogance of this boy. "And what would you call a muggleborn?" she spat back.

" _Mudblood_ ," he whispered with a smirk, and the silence around them burst into laughs and gasps and coughs.

A girl with bushy hair looked like she wanted to cry, but wasn't quite sure why.

"You would call names and look down on someone for something they can't help?" Arri had advanced on the blond boy, and his face hardened and he stood his ground.

"I can look down all I want on thieves," he glared at her.

Arri was furious, and Glasa had had enough.

He sprang out from her side and growled at the Malfoy brat. The boy stumbled back, and tripped over his robes, his eyes wide.

"Y-you can't have that here," he stuttered.

Arri rolled her eyes. "Try and stop me."

At that moment, Professor McGonagall swept into the room.

"Mister Malfoy! Why are you on the floor? Get up!" she whirled around and called "First years follow me please!"

Arri followed, her hands in fists. Ron wordlessly walked beside her, shocked that someone would take his side like that. Logically, he knew that she wasn't defending just him, but it still felt pretty darn good. He chanced a look at the girl with large, bushy hair behind him, who was muttering the entirety of the first Transfiguration chapter under her breath. Ron rubbed his neck, before focusing on the tattered hat on a stool. He had rarely stopped to think about how hard it was for a muggleborn to come to Hogwarts, and though the thought niggled at him now, he brushed it aside to focus on more important things.

Headmaster Albus Dumbledore noticed that this year's crop of first years were more silent than normal as they filed into the Great Hall. One of the ghosts floated behind his chair and whispered in his ear.

Ah. It made much more sense now. It seems Mr. Malfoy got into a heated political argument with Ms. Sarrasri. He tapped a finger against his temple as he pondered that. Despite his slight distraction, he searched the crowd of first years for a girl who could be Harriet Potter.

" _Are you telling me that you've never even seen your niece?" Dumbledore exclaimed. "That's impossible. I left her right on your doorstep, with protections against any person but you being able to get to her."  
_

" _Albus Dumbledore! Are you telling me you left an innocent child on a doorstep on a cold November night?! An animal could have eaten her! Maybe your protections didn't work and some hoodlum sold her for parts! That was my sister's only child!" Petunia Dursley screeched._

 _A girl, nearly the age of Harriet Potter ran into the room. "Mummy! What's wrong?" Petunia gathered her up in her arms and gave her a hug._

" _Nothing, darling girl. Go back to playing with Diddums. I'll make lunch after our visitor leaves, okay?" Petunia's thin face was somehow softened as she smiled at the girl._

 _Dumbledore stared. The girl had the exact same hair as Lily Potter's. Petunia glared at him, two spots of red high on her angular cheekbones._

" _My daughter, Audrey. She gets her hair from my grandmother. She's nearly ten."_

 _Dumbledore suddenly realized why Mrs. Figg had been giving him regular reports on how happy "Harriet Potter" was. And he also remembered something else. The Hogwarts list of names for next year. Audrey Dursley was most certainly on that list._

" _If any harm has come to my niece, Mr. Dumbledore, it'll all be on your hands. How could you do that with Lily's baby girl?"_

Petunia Dursley's accusing voice rang in his ears as he hopefully looked for any sign of _Lily's baby girl_.

 _Hmm. Very interesting._ Came a voice, much like Glasa's. Arri looked around, but Glasa was licking Ron's hand, much to his disgust.

 _Up here, girl. I'm the Sorting Hat. You're very used to voices in your head, aren't you? I wasn't lying when I said you are interesting. It's been far too long since a girl with knowledge of earth magic has sat under my brim. And not only earth magic!- No. Wild magic as well. Very, very curious. Where to put you? Earth magic suggests Hufflepuff, but your wild magic shouts Gryffindor. But your intelligence is laudable as well. And an ambition to be everything your mother wanted you to be and more. Ah? You don't care much for the pursuit of knowledge? Tricky tricky girl. Very well. I suppose it was unavoidable. Better be-_

Professors Snape and Sprout held their breaths collectively, hoping for the hedgewitch to be in their House. Draco Malfoy scowled, hoping she wasn't in Slytherin. Ron wiped the slime from Arri's horse of a dog on his robes, and hoped she was in Gryffindor.

"Gryffindor!" shouted the hat. Arri smiled, and ran to join Granger, Hermione on the long bench. Glasa loped after her. Soon after Weasley, Ron joined and they were all able to enjoy a delicious Welcoming Feast. Arri smiled behind a hand when she noticed Ron hesitantly offer Hermione some rolls. Afterwards, they all headed up to Gryffindor Tower. After Arri was tucked into bed with Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati, she sleepily reflected that this was nearly as nice as the room she was in before. Glasa licked her face in agreement.

Arri woke up early the next morning, used to rising before the sun. She showered, and then struggled with her buttons again. She packed all her books she needed that day into the satchel Professor McGonagall had gotten and charmed for her in Diagon Alley. It was weightless, and had an Extendable charm on it. The stern Professor had avoided her eyes when she loudly voiced her gratefulness and claimed it was a birthday gift. Arri knew better though. Professor McGonagall had been good friends with her mum, Sarra when they were girls.

She and Glasa headed down to the Common Room and tucked herself into a huge comfy chair by the fireplace and began to read one of her Potion supplemental books. It was very elementary, but had good theory behind it. Her mum couldn't afford many books growing up, so Arri devoured them when she could. Most of her learning was oral, and a lot of practice.

She was about halfway through the book when Ron tugged it out of her hands. "Oi!" She glared at him. "Paws off the books."

"I agree!" Cried Hermione, walking up behind Ron. The two girls smiled at each other.

Ron laughed and helped Arri out of the chair. "Alright, alright. You can have it back."

The three of them headed down to breakfast, laughing and goofing off. After breakfast, they went to their first class, Charms.

Before Arri knew it, her first day was over and done with. And she had two essays to boot. Hermione insisted on dragging both Arri and Ron to the library to get started on it. Arri didn't really mind. Magic was fascinating, and really, what else was there to do? Ron was less willing.

"C'mon Hermione! It's the first night! The essays aren't due for two weeks!" Thinking he'd made his point loud and clear, Ron put down his quill and rotated his wrist (like he'd been writing for hours instead of minutes).

"Ron Weasley!" Hermione exclaimed, aghast. "This is our future we're talking about, not the next two weeks! Arri and I are already nearly done with the Charms essay. Who knows what extra essays might be assigned between now and then?" Hermione picked Ron's quill back up and put it in his limp hand. "Besides, when we're done, we'll have time to review for Herbology tomorrow! Professor Sprout definitely going to go over the first chapter!"

Her only answer was Ron's forehead _thunk_ ing into his partially written Charms essay.

On Tuesday, they had Herbology before lunch. Arri could feel her excitement pouring off of her. Finally, a class that she was interested in and was likely to do well in. Ron shot her several bemused glances as they walked down to the greenhouses, while Hermione was excited as she was.

"Welcome class!" A cheery woman greeted them as they all gathered in front of her. She was standing in front of a majestic greenhouse, the glass clear, and the details making a work of art out of something so practical.

"Today, we are going to work on getting to know our equipment and the greenhouse you will be working in this year. I will now pair you up with your partner for the remainder of the semester. If you have problems working together, you will first attempt solving it between yourselves. If that doesn't work, you may then come to me and we will figure out a solution. If I find that the two of you did not attempt to work on the problem yourselves, you will both find yourselves in a detention. Is that clear?" Though Professor Sprouts words were most definitely a threat, she said all this with a smile.

She began listing off the names of the partners, and Arri listened attentively for hers.

"Neville Longbottom and Artemis Sarrasri." Arri's eyes quickly found the shy boy's, and they moved towards each other.

"You will have the remainder of the class period to fill out this worksheet. It must be turned in at the end of class." A piece of parchment landed gently on top of _One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_. Arri noticed that Neville's book was similarly as worn as hers was, after having read it as many times as she could. She had known most of the names and properties beforehand, taught by Sarra, but she had never been able to read them in alphabetical order in a book before. It had been quite thrilling.

"I'm Arri." She stuck out a hand. He took it slowly.

"Neville Longbottom." He looked nervously towards her side, and she realized he was looking at Glasa.

"He won't hurt you." She assured him. "I just don't trust him alone while I'm in classes."

 _I'm very capable of behaving myself when needed._ Glasa commented, sending irritation her way. She merely patted him on his head.

"Do you want to pet him?" She asked, wondering if he'd say yes.

Neville began to shake his head when he stopped, and then slowly nodded. She prodded Glasa forward a bit, and watched as Neville raised a trembling hand to pet the dog whose head came up to his shoulders. She resisted the urge to smile widely and settled on a small one. She decided to change the subject after he hastily pulled his hand back when Glasa shifted.

 _He's a scared one, isn't he?_ Glasa sulked as he plopped to the ground. He didn't like it when people didn't like him. As she couldn't respond, she mentally rolled her eyes.

"I think we're going to be great friends." She announced, smiling as sincerely as she could. He looked confused, almost as if he was wondering who'd want to be friends with him. "You like Herbology, don't you?" she asked, wondering if she'd read his body language wrong. As his eyes brightened, and he smiled, she knew she'd been right.

They easily identified every piece of equipment between the two of them. There were a few that Sarra had never been able to afford, but Neville's grandmother could. After that, they wandered through the greenhouse. They'd chosen Neville to write down the answers, as his handwriting was much neater than hers, a product of Pureblood upbringing, while hers was all over, a product of being taught in the woods with little effort spent. However, both could also agree that Arri sketched the best, so it was her job to sketch the plants that fascinated them both the most.

They chatted as they worked, Arri working to bring the shy boy out of his shell. As they were in an environment that was comfortable to him, she had no issues. And so she learned that he was an only child, lived with his overly strict grandmother, and was thought to be a squib before he got his letter. Arri empathized with him, sharing her own story of not being able to do any healing like her mum wanted her to.

And soon they were done before the others, smiling as they handed in their parchment. Professor Sprout looked it over, her eyes widening as she went farther.

"Very good, you two. I'll be expecting much from the two of you, I wager." She and Neville grinned at each other, the slightly chubby boy transformed by his smile. Arri grinned harder, knowing she'd made a good friend.

""You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making," he began. "As there is little foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of the softly simmering cauldron with its shimmering fumes, the delicate power of liquids that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses... I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death—if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach." (1)

Arri sat entranced. This. _This_ was a man who loved Potions, who breathed and lived and loved the ingredients. She had a feeling they were going to get along famously.

"Sarrasri!" Arri jumped at the sound of her name. "Let's see if your mother taught you anything worthwhile. What do you get if you add powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Arri smiled.

"Draught of Living Death, sir." She also answered all of his following questions as well. And then brewed the Boil Cure perfectly.

Oh yes. Arri and this Professor Snape were going to get along just fine.

Professor Snape's dislike for Hogwarts' annual end of September staff meetings were nearly legendary- at least that's what Professor Flitwick spluttered two years ago after a meeting ended in Headmaster Dumbledore providing Firewhiskey as dessert.

He sat in his corner, arms crossed over his chest, and glared at anyone who looked his way.

"And that is why we cannot hire a new History of Magic teacher." Dumbledore finished with a flourish.

"A new one?" Snape snorted. "We'd have to have an old one to get a new one. As it is, we have neither a young or old one. Merely a dead one."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Quite right, dear boy." Most of the staff ignored this exchange, they were quite used to both men's eccentricities.

"Now, is there anything anyone would like to discuss with the rest of us?" Dumbledore asked. Severus Snape had never added anything more than he had to at these meetings, and he wasn't going to break his record now.

"I'm a bit concerned about Miss Sarrasri." Professor McGonagall said, lacking a bit of her usual sternness. "She not managed to produce a single spell in my class, not even sparks."

"She hasn't in mine, either." Added Flitwick.

"O-or m-m-mine." Stuttered Quirrell.

"That is disturbing." Dumbledore frowned. "Could it be that she lacks focus or determination?" Flitwick shook his head.

"She does all of the homework in a timely manner, and knows enough about each charm. I've personally watched her do the movements and pronunciations. She doing it correctly. It's almost as if…" He trailed off. "Albus, I hate to even ask, but are you _sure_ the child has magic? I know the List can be fooled, and-"

And that's when Professor Snape broke one of his most steadfast rules. He spoke in a staff meeting without being asked to.

"This is ridiculous." He enunciated with a sneer. "Every potion she's produced has come out perfectly each time. No one without magic could accomplish that, I assure you."

"Professor Snape is correct." Dumbledore responded. "I had my concerns as well the first time I met her. But the fact of the matter is, Minerva saw her use many different wands at Ollivander's before her wand chose her. It may be with her upbringing that wand magic is going to be very difficult for her to master."

Snape couldn't help himself. He broke his rule again. "I have another thought that may explain the circumstances." All eyes turned to him, and he frowned deeper. He steepled his fingers against his mouth, then said as clearly as he could:

"Wild magic, obviously."

(1)- Clearly a direct quote from the great J.K. Rowlings.

A/N: _Hello readers. I will never put an author's note at the beginning of a chapter. This way, you can skip them if you like. If not, then here it is:_

 _Yes, I have started another story. I've had writer's block with Le Mora Malefica for years and I'm hoping a new story will revitalize me, as I dearly love that story._

 _This is my crossover of Harry Potter and Tamora Pierce's The Immortals series. This will also be a series._

 _This story was inspired by murkybluematter's series of her HP and the Alanna series crossover. As such, if you recognize bits and pieces that seem similar, that is why. I've gotten her permission, and this is my nod to her great work. I will not constantly be citing her, or Rowling. This is a blanket disclosure for this story. Anything you recognize is not mine, it's one of theirs. Everything else is most decidedly mine._

 _That being said, I will update as frequently as I am able. However, I would love for you to know right off the bat that I write for fun. Also know that I love updating as much as you love me updating. So bear with me, dear readers, and enjoy the story._


	2. First Year: October

(Updated 6-16-17)

October 1991

 _This is a bad idea._ Commented Glasa as he stared at the broom in her hands. _I say keep all four feet on the ground, but two-leggers have odd notions._

She ignored him, mostly because she had been getting so many odd looks when she talked to her dog. She supposed lots of people talked to animals, but none of them expected the animals to actually respond, and that was the difference.

Arri nervously rubbed her fingers over the top of the broom she had voluntarily mounted. Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and everyone looked at her.

"On the count of three, everyone push off _gently_." Madam Hooch commanded. "One, two, thr- Neville!"

Neville had pushed off far too soon, and far too hard. He was high in the sky before Madam Hooch could finish his name. Apparently hearing his name shouted at him by a teacher was too much, and then there was a body falling too quickly to the ground for Madam Hooch to whip out her wand.

Ari paled at the crunching sound her friend made as he hit the ground. She had been reacting before she even knew what was happening, and was therefore the first to reach him. He was unconscious, and she was glad.

Bones rose in jagged edges from his skin in several places, his right leg was at an unnatural angle, and there was blood pooling underneath his head. As Sarra had taught her, she quickly knelt and searched for a pulse. There wasn't one.

"Move aside!" Students parted like the Red Sea at Hooch's voice. Ari looked up at her teacher, biting her lip. _This_ is why she wanted to come to Hogwarts, and she hadn't learned a thing! She couldn't help her friend, she couldn't save him.

Madam Hooch knelt and waved her wand over the pale boy. Her expression said everything Ari already knew. The frustration and helplessness welled up inside her, rolling into a ball that suddenly exploded from her chest and raced through her fingertips. Copper colored light streamed out to wrap around the still body on the ground.

Suddenly, Ari could _feel_ Neville. She raced through his veins, reaching his heart in a matter of seconds. She raised a hand to the walls of the organ, and with all the force she could muster, pushed the copper light until his heart began to slowly pump again. Knowing she wasn't done, she raced back out and up the arteries of the neck to his head.

She found carnage where his skull was supposed to be. Slowly, she gathered all the bone fragments to her by sending out strings of copper light. Knowing instinctively how they pieced together, she fused them where they belonged, copper shining in between all the cracks until there weren't any cracks left. Veins and arteries were mended with a pulse of light, and then turned her attention to the other broken bones. Slowly she proceeded from the top of his head to the bottoms of his feet, fixing anything life-threatening, or any wounds that would cause him to lose too much blood. A saturated green light coated everywhere she went. Somehow, she knew that this was Neville's magic. She gently reached for it as she went, and copper and green intertwined to make Neville whole again.

And then, she was done. Not knowing how to retreat from his body, she jumped, hoping it would get her where she needed to go. With a jolt of pain, everything turned black.

Professor Snape was in a meeting with Minerva when she glanced out the window and shrieked. It was enough to startle Snape, as he'd never heard such a sound in his life. Without question, he followed the older woman as she ran down the stairs and outside. The first years were gathered out there, clearly for their first flying lesson. But they were all gathered in a circle around something. He heard Yolanda order them out of the way.

Trying to be helpful, he called out, "Gryffindor and Slytherin students, return to your dorms immediately. Professor Mcgonagall and I will be along shortly." When some Gryffindors hesitated, he barked, " _Now!_ " They all hurried to obey, shooting looks behind them. And what a sight it was.

Neville Longbottom lay motionless on the ground, blood pooling around him. Miss Sarrasri was kneeling beside him, as well as Yolanda. He saw the health scan results as he marched over, and his heart sank. Augusta most likely would not survive this, he thought, remembering how she was barely able to take care of her grandson after her son had fallen.

He was about to command Miss Sarrasri to leave as well when her body went stiff and her eyes went white.

Incredulous, he watched as the health reading above Mr. Longbottom went from black to a dark red, and got increasingly lighter. Minutes passed, and the Professors, able to see that Miss Sarrasri was doing _something_ , left her alone. Minerva cast her Patronus to fetch the Headmaster.

The Headmaster came by phoenix fire a few minutes later, and not even that was enough to pull the girl out of her daze. Albus clearly knew something they did not, because his harrowed expression became much lighter.

And soon they could see the evidence. Blood started to trickle back into his open wounds, skin mended, bones sank back through the skin. Mr. Longbottom's reading went from red to a mid range blue. While he wasn't doing well still, he wasn't dead either.

And then Neville's eyes snapped open, and a long moan came from his mouth. With all of their attention fixed on the boy, they didn't notice when Miss Sarrasri convulsed, then fell to the ground. However, her giant dog howling and pawing at Severus' leg certainly made him take notice of the unconscious girl.

Professor Snape immediately waved his wand and began levitating her to Pomfrey, knowing the others would take care of Neville.

Everything ached. That was the only clear thought that Ari had upon opening her eyes. Even her eyes ached. She tried sitting up, and was annoyed when she found that her body didn't obey her wishes.

 _You may not want to do that._ Glasa's voice both calmed and irritated her. She tried to answer him, but nothing came out. Her mouth was dry and tasted like something had curled up and died in there.

"Lay still, Miss Sarrasri!" Came a stern woman's voice. Ari recognized it as the school Healer.

 _Neville._ The thought came swiftly, and she was ashamed it hadn't been her first upon waking. She tried to say his name, and was again met with no success.

Opening her eyes was far more of a challenge than it should have been, yet she still stubbornly cracked them open. Determined to find her friend, she shoved a trembling arm behind her and yet again attempted to sit up. Madam Pomfrey turned around and glared.

"If you don't stay still, I will make you!" She barked. Ari grit her teeth, and slumped backwards.

"If you're worried about Mr. Longbottom, you can stop. He'll be fine. He just needs some rest." The Healer cast another look at her. "As do you." She bustled around the bed, a potion flask in hand. Ari took it with ill grace, and chugged it as fast as she could. It felt like she had swallowed slime from the bottom of a lake.

With pleasure, she felt the aching start to fade a bit. She handed the flask back to the stern matron.

"Headmaster Dumbledore would like to speak to you as soon as you've recovered your voice." Madam Pomfrey's tone revealed how well she thought of that plan. "It should return in about a half an hour or so."

Even with Glasa to pet, Ari found that half hour or so to be dreadfully boring. Every several minutes, she would try her hardest to talk. She was immensely pleased when a frog-like croak finally came out. After a few more tries, her voice sounded relatively human, but her throat hurt as though someone had scraped a grater up and down the inside of it a few times.. The matron shook her head, but called the Headmaster in. He was joined by Professor Mcgonagall and Professor Snape. Arri tried to sink as far into her hospital bed as she could when met by the intimidating sight of the trio.. Unfortunately, the bed was far too stiff for something like that to happen.

"How are you feeling, Miss Sarrasri?" The Headmaster asked, his bright blue eyes twinkling from behind his half moon glasses.

She tried to answer honestly.

"Terrible." Was the only word she could force out.

"I'd imagine so, given that you expended a fair amount of your magical core to bring Mr. Longbottom back to life." The Headmaster commented mildly.

Her eyes widened. She knew that she had made Neville's heart start beating again, but Muggles did that all the time.

Like he could read her thoughts, the Headmaster said, "His health scan showed quite clearly that he was dead. Even his magic was gone." Professors Snape and Mcgonagall had yet to say anything, but she could feel their stares.

She frowned. What the Headmaster said couldn't be true. Once a witch or wizard's magic left them, there was no getting it back. And she had very clearly seen Neville's magic, and even used it to help heal him. His body accepted his own magic far better than it had accepted hers.

"But he's not-" was all she could manage before a coughing fit shook her body. Madam Pomfrey hurried back into the infirmary from her office, and handed her another potion. Arri gulped it down, and was relieved to feel an icy cold slide down her throat.

While she drank, Dumbledore responded to her mostly unspoken question.

"No, Mr. Longbottom is not a Squib. But all of us are very interested to know what you did and how you made that happen." This was said with a smile on his face. But Arri clenched her fist. It did not sound like a suggestion to her.

"I-" She shook her head, a bit overwhelmed with trying to explain what happened. "I'm not sure." She finally got out. She snuck a glance at their faces. None of them seemed too happy with this answer, so she tried again.

"I've never healed before." They looked like they didn't quite believe her. "It's true!" She insisted a bit more forcefully. "My mum had me try over and over, but I never could. I wanted to so hard, but I couldn't. I don't know what happened today, only that I was really upset that I couldn't help Neville, and I wanted to help him _so_ much." She paused as she realised she was crying. "He's my friend." She added on, sniffing.

"Be that as it may, Miss Sarrasri, that doesn't change the fact that you healed your friend." Professor Mcgonagall's voice was stern.

Hiccupping, Arri glanced up at the grey haired woman.

"It also doesn't change the fact that you have not been able to produce a single spell in the time you've been here, but you were able to bring a boy back from the dead. We'd very much like to understand what is happening." Professor Mcgonagall added.

Forcing down her tears, Arri hesitantly began telling them what she felt and saw. How she felt like she was in her magic, flying through his veins, starting his heart, mending him from the inside out, drawing his magic out and melding it with hers to make Neville better. She didn't dare look at them afterwards, smoothing her hands along the slightly rough bedspread.

Finally, she forced herself to ask the question that had been plaguing her since her first class.

"Do I actually have magic?I thought that's what I was doing with Neville." Again, she didn't dare look up, twisting the blanket around her hands, clenching them tighter and tighter. The silence above her did nothing to calm her, and she was fighting so hard against tears.

"Enough." A harsh voice cut through the quiet. "Enough already, Albus. You two are scaring her by not answering. Of course you have magic, Miss Sarrasri." Arri looked up at her Potions professor. "No squib or muggle could brew potions like you do. In addition to that, Professor Dumbledore saw your magic healing Mr. Longbottom. There's no question as to you having magic. _Our_ question is why you seem unable to do magic."

All three Professors were nodding, and Arri let a huge _whoosh_ of breath out that she wasn't aware she had been holding. They began to question her, asking her about how she grew up, how she was taught, how did her mum try and get her to heal? She answered every one as best she could.

Finally the Headmaster leaned back in his chair and folded his hands over his slightly rounded belly. "Well, Miss Sarrasri you do pose quite the puzzle. But from what you've told us, I do believe Professor Snape has figured you out. We believe you have wild magic."

Arri blinked. "That's what the Sorting Hat said."

Now it was the Headmaster's turn to blink. "Very interesting. Do you know anything about wild magic?"

"No." Arri said, squirming. They were all looking at her so intensely.

"Most people don't." The Headmaster commented. "Those with an Animagus form have at least a little. Professor Mcgonagall and Professor Snape will teach you what they can, and I will look for a teacher in the meantime."

Professors Mcgonagall and Snape looked slightly surprised when the Headmaster said they'd be teaching her. Arri hid a grin.

"Come to my office Monday night, and we'll begin." Professor Mcgonagall told her. Arri nodded and laid back down when they left. She was still pretty tired.

Arri headed towards Professor Mcgonagall's office, wondering if Professor Snape was going to be there too. She knocked loudly, and went in when bidded. Both Professors were sitting by Professor Mcgonagall's fire drinking a cup of tea.

"Have a seat, Miss Sarrasri. We'll begin explaining what we know while we all have a cup of tea." Professor Mcgonagall said.

Arri sat down and sipped at the tea she was handed, shaking her head when offered cream and sugar.

"I know a bit more about the history of wild magic, as I did some research into a few years back. Professor Mcgonagall can help with the theory of it, and we'll see if we can help." Professor Snape said with his lecture voice. Arri nodded and pulled out some parchment and a quill. Hermione had pushed them into Arri's hands before she left the common room, her face making it very clear Arri was to come back with _something_.

"Some people will tell you that there are only two types of magic: Light and Dark. Still others will tell you there are three: Light, Dark, and Grey. However, there are four types of magic: Light, Dark, Grey, and Wild. Wild magic can often take the form of the other three, but the other three cannot be Wild magic. You see, magic is in everything. Trees, flowers, rocks, and air, they all have magic in them. Wizards can train themselves far enough that they can actually sense this magic. However, in general, wizarding kind cannot access that magic."

"Some historians believe wild magic was how the wizarding world originated. Some person was born a wild mage, and trained their abilities. Their offspring didn't necessarily have wild magic, but they would have been magical, even if that mage had married a Muggle."

"They believe this because of the notable Wild Mages in history. Merlin and Morgana were two at the same time. There hasn't been another full Wild Mage since Merlin. Salazar Slytherin was believed to have a bit of wild magic, that's what they attributed his ability to speak to snakes was from. Every time a Wild Mage has popped up, their bloodline has been noticeably stronger for it."

Professor Snape paused, and Arri looked up, quill paused. Professor Mcgonagall set down her tea and took up where Professor Snape left off.

"This part has been lost to history, but this is what the myths of Wild Magic say. Supposedly, a Wild Mage is one who not only has wild magic, but is able to control it. In theory, a Wild Mage can draw magic from their surroundings and communicate with magical creatures. There is not much more we know about Mages." 

Professor Snape looked at Arri expectantly, but she really had no idea what to say.

"The copper magic you mentioned after healing Mr. Longbottom, have you felt it before?" Professor Mcgonagall asked gently.

Arri shook her head. "No, ma'am. Like I've said, I've never used magic before."

"The students say you talked to your dog when you first got here." Professor Snape did not mince words. He was purposefully mocking when he asked his next question.

"Does he reply?"

Arri glared at her Professor. "Of course he does." She tried to make it sound like Professor Snape was the crazy one. Arri saw Professor Mcgonagall quickly hide a smile.

"Have you ever tried talking to him silently?" Professor Snape queried.

Arri screwed up her face. "How would he hear me if I was silent?"

Professor Snape was clearly trying to be patient. "With your wild magic, you silly child."

Arri bit her lip, trying not to be hurt by his tone.

"Schedule another appointment with me once you have accomplished speaking silently with your familiar or another animal. Until then, we cannot do much."

Arri stared at her hands as she rose. "Thank you." She responded to Professor Snape softly. Perhaps this was a bad idea. She walked out of the room, Glasa trotting at her side.

"I don't want to lose myself." She spoke softly, not knowing whether she was talking to Glasa or herself. "And I don't think I can do what they want me to."

 _You could just try it._ Glasa nosed her hand, and she giggled at the feel of it.

Professor Snape watched the slim black haired girl walk down the corridor, her huge white dog silently walking beside her.

"You could have been nicer." Professor Mcgonagall said from behind him.

"What good would that do?" He asked, crossing his arms. "If she really does have all the wild magic we think she does, she needs to learn how to control it. Better for her to lose control now than when she's older and could wipe out this castle with a temper tantrum."

He could practically hear her shake her head as she left him standing in the doorway alone. He was right, and it would also do no good for him to lose his reputation.

 _Two Weeks Later..._

"Okay everyone! _Swish and flick_!" Professor Flitwick's voice was a smidge squeaky, Arri noticed, before concentrating on the levitating charm. She had practiced the movements over and over with a stick she'd found in the Forest (Professor McGonagall took her wand away when she got to Hogwarts in June, before classes started). She was sure with all her practice she'd get it right.

" _Wingardium Leviosa!"_ She intoned, putting as much will forth as she could, just like the books said. Nothing.

Ron was trying beside her, but with no luck. However, _he_ wasn't saying the incantation right. Hermione did the exact same thing Arri had done, but her feather started to float. Arri bit her lip. Why didn't hers work?

And it was like that in nearly all of Arri's classes. The match in Transfiguration remained obstinately match like, and she _could not_ produce a Jelly-Legs Jinx for her life. She remained certain that Professor Quirrell had it in for her, as he always paired her with the strongest caster of the class: Malfoy. And he never hesitated to send her down.

She didn't know what was going on. Her Potions and Herbology grades were top notch, but any class that required a wand was suffering. Hermione was helping her keep her homework grades up, but Arri didn't see how she could continue to stay here if she couldn't do magic. It was like her mum all over again! All the expectation, and none of the results.

"No Ron, you're saying it wrong." Hermione said. Arri squinted at her friend and tried not to get mad. Sometimes Hermione was hard to take, especially when she did everything right. Ron frowned, but did as Hermione suggested.

When his feather floated up to the ceiling, Hermione gave him a smug smile. "See, you should listen to me more often."

Arri grabbed Ron's arm before he could do anything to their oblivious friend. He glared at her, then at Hermione.

"I know she's a bit hard to take, Ron. But she doesn't realize what she's doing. We'll talk to her after class, okay?" Arri whispered.

"Fine." Ron hissed back. "But _I_ get to talk to her." Arri nodded, then turned and tried to do the spell again.

"I don't know what you're doing wrong, Arri." Hermione said, eyeing her friend. "You're saying it right and doing the motions perfectly." 

"I know." Arri grit her teeth.

"Are you picturing your magic flowing like Professor Flitwick talked about?" Hermione asked, leaning over to look at Arri's notes.

"Yes Hermione." Arri said. "As far as I can tell." And she was. She was picturing the copper flame that had moved through Neville's body moving down and through her wand. Nothing.

"You should talk to a teacher about that, then." Hermione said earnestly. "I can do it for you, even."

"No!" Arri's refusal came out sharper than she intended. Hermione reared back, a hurt look on her face.

"Sorry, Hermione. I didn't mean to say it like that. I just need to practice more, I'm sure. It'll be fine." Arri tried on a reassuring smile, not knowing if it would work or not. She hadn't had much practice at reassuring people. That had been her mother's job.

Hermione leaned back in her chair, slightly mollified. "I understand. You just need to be more careful how you talk to people." And then Hermione pulled out their Charms book and continued to read ahead.

This time it was Ron grabbing Arri's arm. "We'll talk after, remember?" Ron whispered to her. Arri nodded tightly.

It wasn't long until the end of class, and then all the students were pouring out. Once they had reached an open courtyard, Arri grabbed her friend's arm and pulled her off to the side. Hermione looked at them confused.

"Guys, I've got to go to the library and look up the-" Hermione tried pulling away.

"Hermione, we need to talk to you." Arri said, trying not to get mad.

"Can it wait? I've really got to-" Hermione kept trying to pull away.

"No!" Ron exploded. "It can't wait. Listen, we're your friends, but you need to stop! You can't just go around acting like you're better than everyone else, because you aren't! It's a wonder sometimes that you even have any friends in the first place!" Arri let go of Hermione's arm to grab Ron's. He had gone a bit too far.

She turned to her other friend just as her eyes started to water. Ron started to look ashamed.

"Look, Hermione-" Ron started, but Hermione was already ducking her head and pushing past Ron.

Ron started to go after her, but Arri held him back.

"Let her go." Arri said sternly. "You've hurt her enough."

Ron hung his head and scuffed his feet against the ground. "I didn't mean to." He mumbled.

"I know." Arri said. "You've just got to watch your temper. C'mon, we've got class in a few minutes. We can apologize to her there."

But Hermione wasn't in their next class, or the one after that. Arri was starting to get worried for her friend. The decorations for Halloween barely fazed her as she kept asking people of they'd seen Hermione. Finally, Lavendar spoke up.

"I think she's still crying in the lavatory. She's been in there since Charms." Lavender pronounced and turned back to her dinner.

Ron and Arri looked at each other, concerned. "We'll go look for her after dinner." Ron said, making it seem like a question. Arri nodded, and pushed her mashed potatoes around on her plate.

Not even a few minutes later, Professor Quirrell rushed into the room.

"Troll, in the dungeons. Thought you should know." He managed to gasp out, before collapsing on the floor. As the teachers tried to organize the frantic children, Arri grabbed a panicking Ron.

"Ron. Ron!" When the redhead finally looked at her, terror clear on his face, she said one word. "Hermione!"

His eyes widened, and the terror grew. "We have to warn her!" He said. Arri nodded, and they snuck away from the crowd.

They searched a couple lavatories before it happened. They smelled it before they heard it. A troll lumbered towards them as they ran behind a corner. After making the huge mistake of locking a troll in the bathroom with their friend, and rescuing her from that troll, and avoiding losing points for said adventure, the three of them collapsed in front of one of the fires in their common room.

"Well, that was fun." Arri said to break the silence. Hermione's eyes widened in disbelief and she stared at her friend.

"You're barking mad." Hermione pronounced. Arri looked at Ron, and they broke out into hysterical laughter. After a moment of staring at her friends, Hermione began laughing as well. And that was how three friends became best friends.

Later that night, Arri fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. If her roommates had been awake, they would have seen a white wolf slip into Arri's bed and lay beside her. Arri wrapped her arms around the creature without waking. An owl or two flew in through the window Hermione had forgotten to latch and rested on posts above Arri's head.

Other creatures came in throughout the night, but only the white wolf walked in Arri's dreams.

" _There you are, cub. I've finally found you." The wolf said. Arri looked at him, oddly unsettled for a dream. "I've been looking for a while, you know."_

" _I'm sorry." Arri said, blinking. "I've never meant to be any trouble. Have- have we met?"_

 _The wolf blinked. "No, cub. But I promised your mum I'd look after you, and it's taken me awhile to even find you. The magic of Hogwarts leant a helping hand."_

 _Arri frowned. "Sarra sent you?"_

 _The wolf almost seemed to chuckle. "No, though Sarra does say hi. Your birth mum, Lily sent me. She's a bit sad you've forgotten her, cub."  
_

 _Arri felt like she should be more upset and curious at this pronouncement._

" _So that I don't ever lose you again, put this on." Arri was going to ask what she was supposed to put on when he began to cough and shake his head. Soon there was a large tooth on her lap, and the wolf smiled a slightly toothless smile. Arri watched in awe as the tooth suddenly appeared again._

" _Goodbye Harriet Potter." The wolf began to fade, even as Arri reached out a hand._

Arri woke with a start, looking around the dark room, completely disoriented. She looked at her lap and picked up a large silver tooth.

"Arri?" Hermione murmured sleepily. "What's wrong?" Arri's hands shook.

"Nothing, Hermione. I just had an odd dream." Arri replied.

"Okay." Hermione rolled over.

Arri stared at the tooth in her hand, trying to remember the fading details of her dream.

 _A/N: To be honest, I'm not completely happy with this chapter. I might renovate it later. But for now, here's an update. I've been going through quite a few things this past month. My appendix burst (still have to have the surgery), they found a tumour in my breast (I'm 22…), and there's something funky going on with my eyes. All in all, it hasn't been a great few months. Oh yeah, and I lost my job because of all of it. On the bright side, that now leaves me with more time to write, in between doctor's appointments._

 _I'll cut off before this gets too long, but I really wanted to say thank you to all four of my reviewers and all the people who are following this story._

 _Thanks to DistractedDaydreamer, Forbiddentofly, and TheLostPevensie for your beta work._


End file.
